Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-09-10

Then | tainted, anl as | did SO it flashed
through my darkening mind that / was
passing dow Il into the last oblivion Of death.
..Z|;&;!,:IIkl /. !. !. /. !. . !: !. !: j. !. | !: !. ! !. .
<I wv nv VIA A// opene q
W agyH MA I'm my eyes
"A NNf "A vJhliI again |
IN w h WIN IgT found my
LA N MfA " M self lying
~ II MfA ON on n skin
n NJ H@ESM H mat, not
Y ,sI1 EHJfit far from
/ n"U< Vfb/M h fire
MILAzACNMIG\ Oh II d
| N|S~~ which we
had been
| gathered for the dreadful feast. Near me
lay Leo, still apparently in a swoon, and
over him was bending the tall form Of the
| girl Ustane, who was washing adeep spear
wound in his side with water preparatory to
binding it UP with linen. Leaning against
the wall of the cave behind her was Job,
apparently unhurt, but bruised and trem-
bling. On the other side of the fire, tossed
about this way and that, as though they
had thrown themselves down to sleep in
\ SOlllC IllbIIltIiI VI uDsDlulS cAlldli>tlbl, Ntlo
the bodies of those whom we had killed in
our frightful struggle for life. / counted
them: there were twelve besides the WON
an and the corpse of poor Mahomed, who
had died by my hand, which, the fire.
stained pot by its side, was placed at the
end of the irregular line. To the left, q
body Of men were engaged in binding the
arms Of the survivors of the cannibals, be-
I'LL. 49,, .-I H., r.ay-. 4LD.. x-.~
and two. The villains were submitting
with look of sulky indifference upon their
faces that accorded i'll with the baflied
fury that cleaned in their somber eyes.
In front of these men, directing the opera
tions, stood no other han Il friend Bill
lali, looking rather tired, but particularly
patriarchal with his flowing beard, and as
cool md unconcerned as though he were
experimenting the cutting-up Of an OK.
Presently he turned, and perceiying that
] was sitting up, advanced To me, and with
the utmost courtesy said that he trusted
that | felt better. | answered that at pres
ent | scarcely knew how l felt, except that
! scGed all over.
Then he bent down and examined Leo's
wound. Its q nasty cut" he said, but
the spear has not pierced the entrails. lie
will recover"
Thanks TO your arrival, my father" /
answered. "In another minute we should
all have been beyond the reach Of recOy-
cry, for those devils of yours would have
slain us rs they have slain our servant"
and ] pointed toward Mahomed.
The old man ground his teeth, and I saw
an extraordinary expression of malgDity
light up his eyes.
Fear not, my SON" he answered. even
geance shall be taken on them such as
would make the flesh twist upon the bones
merely TO near Of il. To She they shall go,
and her vengeance shall be worthy of her
greatness. That man." and he pointed to
Mahomed, Il tell you that man would
have died n merciful death TO the death
these hyena-inen shall die. feline, | pray
of thee, how it came about"
In n few words / sketched what had hap
pened.
"Ah, So" he answered. "Thou seest,
my son, here there is a custom that if n
stranger comes into this country he may
be slain by the pot and eaten"
1T is hospitality turned upside down." /
answered, feebly. 'In our country we en-
terrain a stranger, and give him food to
eat. Here ye eat him, and are enter
tanned"
st is q CUSTOM" he answered with n
shrug. myself j think it an evil one; but
them he added, by an ~after-thought, Il
do not like the taste of strangers, especial
ly after they have wandered through the
sygamps and lived on wild-fowl. When
Shc-lrho-must-be-Obeyed sent orders that
We were to be saved, she said naught Of the
black man; therefore, being hyneas, these
men lusted after his flesh, and the woman
it was whom thou didst rightly Stay who
put it into their evil hearts to hot pot him.
Well, they will have their reward. Better
for them would it be if they had never
seen the light than that they should stand
before She in her terrible anger. Happy
are those of them that died by your hands.
''Ah," he went on, sit was a gallant
fight that we fought, knoweSt thou that
thou, long-armed old Baboon that thou
art, hast crushed in the ribs of those two
who are laid out there as though they were
but as the shell Of an egg? And the young
one, the lion, it was a beautiful fight that
he made-one against SO many-three did
he slay outright, and that one there and
he pointed to a body that was still moving
q little, "wiII die anon, for his head is
cracked across, and others Of those Tho
are bound are hurt. 1t YVES a gallant fight,
and We and he have made a friend of me
by it, for | love TO see n well fought fray.
But tell me, my son, the B~aboon-and now
/ think of it thy face, too, is hairy, and al
together like n baboon's-how was it that
We slew both those with n hole in them?
Ye made a noise, they say, and slew them
they fell down on their faces Mt the
noise!"
explained TO him as we'll as Icould, but
very shortly was terribly wearied, and
only persuaded to talk at all through fear
Of offending one SO powerful if / refused
TO do so-what were the properties of gun
powder, and he instantly suggested that |
should illustrate what | said by operating
on the person of one Of the prisoners. One,
he said, never would be missed, Int it
would not only be very interesting TO him,
but would give me an opportunity OF an in
stallment of revenge. He was greatly
astounded when | told him hat it was not
our custom to aveng ourselves in cold
blood and that we left vengeance to the
law and a higher Power, of which he knew
nothing. added, however, that when /
recovered / would take him out shooting
with us, and he should Kill an animal for
himself, and at this he was as pleased us a
child at the promise Of a new toy,